❓ Premier answers question on independent review of WA's COVID-19 management, highlighting strengths, recommendations, and vaccination concerns, while also criticising the opposition.
AnsweredQoN 481Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
REVIEW OF WESTERN
AUSTRALIA'S COVID-19 MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSE
481. Dr J. KRISHNAN to the Premier:
I
refer to the independent Review of Western Australia's COVID-19
management and response , which was released yesterday. Can the Premier advise the house how the review has
acknowledged Western Australia's strong response to the
pandemic, while also providing advice to allow WA to prepare for potential
pandemics in the future?
AUSTRALIA'S COVID-19 MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSE
481. Dr J. KRISHNAN to the Premier:
I
refer to the independent Review of Western Australia's COVID-19
management and response , which was released yesterday. Can the Premier advise the house how the review has
acknowledged Western Australia's strong response to the
pandemic, while also providing advice to allow WA to prepare for potential
pandemics in the future?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the question.
He, above all people in this place, understands the important role that medical science plays in the health of our
community. The Review of WA's COVID-19 management and response was tabled yesterday, and I would like to thank the independent reviewers: Hon
John Day; Emeritus Professor Margaret Sears, AO; and Dr Michael Schaper—as
members all know, three very eminent and well-qualified individuals. This is
the first whole-of-government review of the COVID pandemic management and
response in Australia, and WA is the first government in the nation to
commission a complete review of this nature, providing a guide for future
governments on how to handle future pandemics.
This is the important point: we want
to provide a guidebook, a blueprint, for future governments that will
inevitably confront another pandemic. The experts tell us that that is likely
to be within our lifetimes, so it is important that we learn the lessons from
this particular experience—an experience that, at that point in time,
no living person had confronted. The reviewers engaged extensively with a range
of stakeholders: members of the public, government agencies and community and
industry groups. They also assessed a range of economic, social and health
indicators relating to WA. With 35 recommendations, the review gives WA a blueprint
to prepare for pandemics in the future. It also outlines the strength of WA's
collective response to and management of COVID. WA schools remained open
throughout the pandemic, allowing students to learn in person. Our economy
continued to grow, across all sectors and above other states. Most
significantly and most importantly, WA had the best health outcomes in the nation. Our fatality rate was just 0.074 per cent—the
lowest of all states and territories. That is a fantastic achievement by
the people of Western Australia. This was,
in part, thanks to WA's exceptionally high vaccination rate, with our
third-dose vaccination rate 10 per cent above the national average. Our
two-dose vaccination rate was more than 95 per cent. However, alarmingly, since
COVID-19 there has been some vaccine fatigue, fed by an increase in vaccine
disinformation. This has seen a corresponding
decline in the rate of some vaccinations in the community. For example, since
2019, the percentage of children under the age of 12 who have had flu
vaccinations has halved. Members will know that this has been a bad flu season,
and we are still experiencing it. Ninety-five per cent of all kids who have
been hospitalised were unvaccinated; the numbers do not lie. That is incredibly
telling. It is just so important that we continue to make sure that people
understand that vaccinations work. They prevent severe illness and they save
lives. That is why the government is taking immediate action. As recommended by
the review, we will develop a public education campaign to combat
misinformation and encourage vaccination uptake.
As I said, Hon John Day was one of
the reviewers. Members will know John Day; he was an eminent member of this chamber,
was twice Minister for Health and, indeed, holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor
of Dental Science. I think he has earned everyone's respect in this
chamber. He said yesterday —
�
it is pleasing to see that the Government is focusing on having a vaccination
public health campaign to encourage
further uptake. I think there has been a degree of complacency in the community
to some extent �
I
think they are very true words, and it is very important that we take notice of
them. He understands health and how governments
work, but the Liberal Party today is not the Liberal Party we used to know. It
is not the Liberal Party of esteemed
scholars and ministers like John Day. Today it is controlled by other people—people
like Hon Nick Goiran . We saw the sorts of people who Hon Nick Goiran and
his friend Hon Peter Collier elevated as candidates at the last election. We
saw the amazingly extreme views that came out day in, day out from those
people, and we know that their views are working to spread division and fear in
the community and misinformation when it comes to vaccines. They are science
deniers. It is important that we get on top of these conspiracy theorists and
people who spread misinformation. It is important for the Liberal Party to
divorce itself from these sorts of extreme views and these people who have taken hold of the party. They are the same people
today who control the Liberal Party. They are the same people who the
member for Vasse depends upon for her leadership. They are the same people who
bragged that they were ''The Clan'' and that they were running
the show. They are still there, members. The member for Vasse needs to act. The
member for Vasse needs to join the government in attacking these people who
spread fear, misinformation and division in
the community about vaccines. Yesterday, we heard from the member for Vasse .
Like all the other recent past Liberal leaders, she goes about undermining the
state government's efforts to keep people safe. Yesterday, she said
that the review was not forensic and that it looked only at what worked well.
Ms L. Mettam : It is in the
report.
Mr R.H. COOK : The member
trashed the work of the independent reviewers. In contrast, let me quote Hon
John Day, who said —
We weren't concerned with the
politics of the situation, but we were concerned with what we were told and the
empirical evidence that we were given. And the statistics indicate that there
was a lower rate of fatalities in Western Australia and a lower incidence of
the disease. So overall, things did work well.
The
member for Vasse would do well to learn the lessons of her predecessors. I refer
to those Liberal leaders who, like her, sought to undermine the Western Australian
community's confidence in the measures that kept Western Australians safe,
and those leaders who went into bat for Clive Palmer and tried to tear down our
borders. We are talking about the former member for Cottesloe, Zak Kirkup, Liza
Harvey —
Point of Order
Ms M.J.
DAVIES : The Premier was asked a question about vaccines. He is now
talking about former Liberal leaders. I can cannot understand the relevance and
it has been going for some time. It is question time.
The SPEAKER : Premier, I will
remind you that we have other questions to get to.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.H. COOK : Thank you,
Madam Speaker. I am just reminding people how much the Liberal Party has divorced itself from ''The Clan''.
Hon Nick Goiran, with his little protege, Peter Hudson, was out on the hustings
in Rockingham. Members opposite have not learnt anything. This Leader of
the Liberal Party will go the same way as the others if she continues in this
vein.
He, above all people in this place, understands the important role that medical science plays in the health of our
community. The Review of WA's COVID-19 management and response was tabled yesterday, and I would like to thank the independent reviewers: Hon
John Day; Emeritus Professor Margaret Sears, AO; and Dr Michael Schaper—as
members all know, three very eminent and well-qualified individuals. This is
the first whole-of-government review of the COVID pandemic management and
response in Australia, and WA is the first government in the nation to
commission a complete review of this nature, providing a guide for future
governments on how to handle future pandemics.
This is the important point: we want
to provide a guidebook, a blueprint, for future governments that will
inevitably confront another pandemic. The experts tell us that that is likely
to be within our lifetimes, so it is important that we learn the lessons from
this particular experience—an experience that, at that point in time,
no living person had confronted. The reviewers engaged extensively with a range
of stakeholders: members of the public, government agencies and community and
industry groups. They also assessed a range of economic, social and health
indicators relating to WA. With 35 recommendations, the review gives WA a blueprint
to prepare for pandemics in the future. It also outlines the strength of WA's
collective response to and management of COVID. WA schools remained open
throughout the pandemic, allowing students to learn in person. Our economy
continued to grow, across all sectors and above other states. Most
significantly and most importantly, WA had the best health outcomes in the nation. Our fatality rate was just 0.074 per cent—the
lowest of all states and territories. That is a fantastic achievement by
the people of Western Australia. This was,
in part, thanks to WA's exceptionally high vaccination rate, with our
third-dose vaccination rate 10 per cent above the national average. Our
two-dose vaccination rate was more than 95 per cent. However, alarmingly, since
COVID-19 there has been some vaccine fatigue, fed by an increase in vaccine
disinformation. This has seen a corresponding
decline in the rate of some vaccinations in the community. For example, since
2019, the percentage of children under the age of 12 who have had flu
vaccinations has halved. Members will know that this has been a bad flu season,
and we are still experiencing it. Ninety-five per cent of all kids who have
been hospitalised were unvaccinated; the numbers do not lie. That is incredibly
telling. It is just so important that we continue to make sure that people
understand that vaccinations work. They prevent severe illness and they save
lives. That is why the government is taking immediate action. As recommended by
the review, we will develop a public education campaign to combat
misinformation and encourage vaccination uptake.
As I said, Hon John Day was one of
the reviewers. Members will know John Day; he was an eminent member of this chamber,
was twice Minister for Health and, indeed, holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor
of Dental Science. I think he has earned everyone's respect in this
chamber. He said yesterday —
�
it is pleasing to see that the Government is focusing on having a vaccination
public health campaign to encourage
further uptake. I think there has been a degree of complacency in the community
to some extent �
I
think they are very true words, and it is very important that we take notice of
them. He understands health and how governments
work, but the Liberal Party today is not the Liberal Party we used to know. It
is not the Liberal Party of esteemed
scholars and ministers like John Day. Today it is controlled by other people—people
like Hon Nick Goiran . We saw the sorts of people who Hon Nick Goiran and
his friend Hon Peter Collier elevated as candidates at the last election. We
saw the amazingly extreme views that came out day in, day out from those
people, and we know that their views are working to spread division and fear in
the community and misinformation when it comes to vaccines. They are science
deniers. It is important that we get on top of these conspiracy theorists and
people who spread misinformation. It is important for the Liberal Party to
divorce itself from these sorts of extreme views and these people who have taken hold of the party. They are the same people
today who control the Liberal Party. They are the same people who the
member for Vasse depends upon for her leadership. They are the same people who
bragged that they were ''The Clan'' and that they were running
the show. They are still there, members. The member for Vasse needs to act. The
member for Vasse needs to join the government in attacking these people who
spread fear, misinformation and division in
the community about vaccines. Yesterday, we heard from the member for Vasse .
Like all the other recent past Liberal leaders, she goes about undermining the
state government's efforts to keep people safe. Yesterday, she said
that the review was not forensic and that it looked only at what worked well.
Ms L. Mettam : It is in the
report.
Mr R.H. COOK : The member
trashed the work of the independent reviewers. In contrast, let me quote Hon
John Day, who said —
We weren't concerned with the
politics of the situation, but we were concerned with what we were told and the
empirical evidence that we were given. And the statistics indicate that there
was a lower rate of fatalities in Western Australia and a lower incidence of
the disease. So overall, things did work well.
The
member for Vasse would do well to learn the lessons of her predecessors. I refer
to those Liberal leaders who, like her, sought to undermine the Western Australian
community's confidence in the measures that kept Western Australians safe,
and those leaders who went into bat for Clive Palmer and tried to tear down our
borders. We are talking about the former member for Cottesloe, Zak Kirkup, Liza
Harvey —
Point of Order
Ms M.J.
DAVIES : The Premier was asked a question about vaccines. He is now
talking about former Liberal leaders. I can cannot understand the relevance and
it has been going for some time. It is question time.
The SPEAKER : Premier, I will
remind you that we have other questions to get to.
Questions without Notice Resumed
Mr R.H. COOK : Thank you,
Madam Speaker. I am just reminding people how much the Liberal Party has divorced itself from ''The Clan''.
Hon Nick Goiran, with his little protege, Peter Hudson, was out on the hustings
in Rockingham. Members opposite have not learnt anything. This Leader of
the Liberal Party will go the same way as the others if she continues in this
vein.
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